Catholics celebrate new pope's vision

Pope Francis I has become an unlikely international celebrity in these TMZ times, an inspirational leader who has captured the hearts, minds and spirit of people.

By Ray WeissSpecial Correspondent

Last Christmas Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a relatively unknown Roman Catholic cardinal from Argentina.Now, as Pope Francis I, he's become an unlikely international celebrity in these TMZ times, an inspirational leader who has captured the hearts, minds and spirit of people with his simplicity, humility and kindness. The 77-year-old pope, recently named Time magazine's person of the year, has made an impact on the church and society in general with an apostle-like calling for activism and inclusion in the nine months since his election.That back-to-the-future approach delights and inspires many local Catholic parishioners, as well as leaders like Father Phil Egitto, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Daytona Beach.“I think that Pope Francis has definitely brought the care and love of Christ to all people. The pope is presenting an old message of the church in a new way,” Egitto said. “Unfortunately, over time the church became more well-known for its rules and regulations, rather than the good news of the gospel. ... It's very affirming that our pope is speaking of justice and action.”Father John Bosco Maison, the pastor at the Catholic Church of the Epiphany in Port Orange, said he thinks Pope Francis' more open style is different, but that his “message of God's love” is the same.“I think what he brings is a new methodology, a very down-to-earth approach,” Maison said. “It's what we need. It's what people want to see, especially the youth.”Maison said many Catholics who had left the church are returning, impressed by the pope's sincerity and humility.“We are seeing a lot of growth,” he said. “There's hope for fallen-away Catholics because of him.” This Christmas season was the first time in three years Trinda Nehmer attended Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, partly because of the new pope.“I like him very much. He seems more open-minded so far with things like gay rights,” said Nehmer, a former winter visitor who recently moved permanently to Daytona Beach. “It makes me a little more hopeful the church will update a bit. I wish they'd let women in as priests, and allow priests to marry. But that's probably never going to happen.”

But it's clear that Pope Francis has opened the door for debate within the church on a number of once closed topics.Angelika Grubel, 42, a Catholic from Ormond Beach, said she was initially surprised by the selection of Pope Francis, given his disdain for the material trappings of life, including those traditionally enjoyed by the church's hierarchy in Rome.“He's his own man. He's not so much a follower of the rules, following protocol all the time, which is huge in the Catholic church,” she said. “I hope he can mix things up a little. He's way more connected to people than any other pope. He's not extravagant, and that's what the church should be about.”Pope Francis recently presented an 84-page document outlining his agenda, reaffirming his earlier spoken positions with an overriding foundation for the church of wanting to eliminate complacency and enlist Catholics to help the poor and oppressed.In a challenge to the Vatican hierarchy, Francis also called for decentralizing power in the church, saying the pope and other top leaders in Rome must collaborate with bishops, laypeople and, in particular, women.“I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” Pope Francis said in the first teaching document of his papacy that he composed alone.Francis' prescription for the church has mirrored his long-held view of what is wrong with the world. He denounced the “dictatorship” of a global economic system and a free market that he said perpetuates inequality and “devours” many people and the environment.Father Egitto said the pope leads by example, practicing what he preaches. But Egitto said commending the pope for his austerity isn't enough.“Pope Francis has sincerity that resonates not just in how the church should be, but also in calling on people to imitate his simplicity, to get rid of their own trappings,” Egitto said. “He wrote that prosperity tends to deaden the soul.”Monica MacIntyre, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lourdes, said she is impressed by the inclusionary philosophy of Pope Francis.“I love him. He's for me such a part of my Catholic faith, how we should treat and love people, whether it's children or the poor,” she said. “He's brought more peace to me with my faith, giving me more of a connection of how I always saw myself as a Catholic and a Christian. I truly identify with him.”Francis in his recent writing criticized those within the church who foster division to the point of “veritable witch hunts.” In recent years, some bishops in the United States and Europe have advocated denying holy communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights or same-sex marriage. Francis did not directly address the issue, but he advocated that doors should be opened for discussion.Nowhere in the document did Francis speak explicitly of homosexuality or same-sex marriage. However, he said the church should not give in to “moral relativism,” and cited approvingly a document written by U.S. bishops on ministering to people with “homosexual inclination.”Pope Francis has taken many of the church's back burner issues to the front burner.Jim Scott, 59, an Ormond Beach attorney, is not Catholic, but finds Pope Francis a courageous and inspirational leader for people of all faiths by refusing to shy away from controversial topics like greed and poverty. “I think it's important for the credibility of the Catholic religion in general that they have a pope who says things that people can identify with across the board,” he said. “I like the fact that he is willing to stand up for what he believes in and help people, even when he catches flak for it. We need his attitude in the secular world to help resolve disputes. He'd be a real asset. He wants to bring peace to the world.”

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